319. Weekly Summary1
MOSCOW SEEKS A RETURN TO NORMAL RELATIONS WITH THE WEST
Moscow is making a determined effort to restore a business–as–usual atmosphere to its relations with the West. The Soviet aim is to implant the notion that Soviet domination of Eastern Europe—on which Moscow has been insisting vehemently—is one thing, while “détente” is another. To this end, the Soviets have toned down their propaganda attacks on the West, have made a number of conciliatory gestures on particular issues, and have tried to revive interest in questions of mutual East–West concern.
The USSR has publicly and privately made clear that it is willing to begin exploratory talks with the US on limitation of strategic weapons. At a Soviet anniversary reception in London last week, for example, a Russian diplomat urged that the US get on with arms discussions. In the main address at the celebration of the Bolshevik Revolution in Moscow on 7 November, First Deputy Premier Mazurov reiterated Russia’s readiness to do so, as did the Soviet ambassador at the UN in a major speech on disarmament this week. Premier Kosygin was apparently eager to convey the same message to former Defense Secretary McNamara in Moscow this week.2
The Russians also have moved recently to conclude some minor agreements with the US on which both sides had been marking time, including a long–planned exchange of new embassy sites. The purpose of these actions clearly was to hasten the end of the period of coolness in Soviet–American relations which set in with the invasion of Czechoslovakia. In addition, the Soviets and their East German allies refrained from retaliatory moves during a fortnight of West German meetings in Berlin, although Moscow may yet give East Germany the green light to impose new restrictions on West German access to Berlin. It seems clear, however, that the Soviets wish to avoid the kind of harassment that could lead to a Soviet–Allied confrontation.
The Soviets recently took pains to receive amiably the UK’s new ambassador in Moscow. President Podgorny contended that Anglo– [Page 757] Soviet relations had suffered “unnecessarily” as a result of the Czechoslovak affair. Moscow’s diplomatic efforts have resulted in the rescheduling for this winter of a session of the Franco–Soviet “Grande Commission” on cooperative projects, which was due to meet in September but had been postponed by Paris. The Soviets have studiously avoided including France in their press attacks on the “imperialist” West since the Czechoslovak invasion in order to maintain at least the appearance of a special “détente” with Paris. Recently, some of the venom has been dropped from Soviet propaganda directed at West Germany, a favorite target. Indeed, Moscow has made the gesture of offering to reopen negotiations with Bonn on a civil air agreement. Moreover, the USSR has generally muted its anti–Western propaganda, and for several weeks has ceased to accuse the US of having incited Czechoslovak “reactionaries.”
Other efforts to improve the Soviet image can be found in the succession of high–level foreign visitors welcomed in the USSR. Since the invasion, ranking officials from all of the non–Communist countries on Russia’s borders except Turkey and Norway have received the red carpet treatment.
- Source: Central Intelligence Agency: Job 79–T00936A. Secret; No Foreign Dissem. The Weekly Summary was issued every Friday morning by CIA’s Office of Current Intelligence. Printed here are pages 11–12.↩
- See Document 314.↩